The preparation process for the accreditation consists of several stages: 

1) review of all study processes and activities in order to identify whether there are any issues, activities or documents that should be updated or improved and this process requires everyone's involvement (therefore, we organize meetings with teaching staff, general staff, students, veterinarians of the clinic, representatives of the Latvian Association of Veterinarians, etc. );

2) on its basis a Self-Evaluation Report (SER) is prepared, containing a description of the current situation and comments on processes. The report consists of 10 areas : general organization; finances, study programme; facilities and equipment; provision of animal resources; other study resources; student progress and well-being; student assessment principles; provision of teaching staff; science and postgraduate training;

3) the evaluation visit it self (September);

4) Evaluation report made by the visitation team

5) Comments from FVM on the visitation report

6) Final report

7) ECOVE (European Committee on Veterinary Education) decision, usually within approximately two months after the visit.

ECOVE decisions can be – “Accredited” or “Pending Accreditation” or “Non-accredited”.

If all requirements are met, the decision will be "Accredited." If one or two "major deficiencies" or several "minor deficiencies" are found, the curriculum will be given the status "Pending Accreditation”, with additional time to address these deficiencies. In this case, a new visit must be organized within two years to verify the improvements. During the "Pending Accreditation" period, the curriculum remains accredited, and this status does not affect students – they will still graduate from an accredited programme. However, if the deficiencies are not corrected or a follow-up visit is not organized, the curriculum will be given the status "non-accredited."

According the ESEVT SOP at this stage after the evaluation process, FVM can get the status “Accredited" or “Pending Accreditation", but not "Non-Accredited", as it is already approved before by EAEVE. In case of identified deficiencies, the status of FVM can be “Pending Accreditation” and then the FVM will have up to two years to correct the identified deficiencies and obtain full accreditation. During this period, the FVM remains accredited within the framework of ESEVT, and the study programme continues to be recognised as such.

At the moment FVM is preparing the self - evaluation report. Which has to be sent out till mid-July. The preparation of the SER is a collaborative effort. Each chapter has a designated author, responsible for leading the work within that area: prof. Kaspars Kovaļenko, assist. prof. Ivars Lūsis, assoc. prof. Dace Gorbačevska, assoc. prof. Armands Vekšins, prof. Dace Keidāne, assist. prof. Astra Ārne, lect. Lelde Tītmane, prof. Aivars Bērziņš.  In addition to the chapter leaders, most of the staff is contributing in one way or another. For the purpose of quality assurance (QA) performance, several working groups/committees are established for long term activities, to fulfil the principle – “plan-do-check-adjust”. The coordinator (Liaison Officer) of preparations for the FVM accreditation is Gundega Mičule, Dr.Med.Vet.

The first draft of the SER was completed in early March of this year and is currently being reviewed for updates by various key individuals and editors. Following this, students will have the opportunity to review the draft, and everybody less involved in the process can provide feedback to identify any shortcomings. In June, we will finalize the report and submit it to EAEVE in July.  

After receiving the SER of FVM, ESEVT experts will review the chapters and may request additional materials already before the visit, and send further questions that must be answered promptly. The composition of the evaluation/expert team is already confirmed and announced. The  team consists of eight members: experts in areas such as Basic Sciences, Clinical Sciences (for Companion Animals and for Food Producing Animals), Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety & Quality, Quality Assurance, a Practitioner, a Student and the ESEVT coordinator. 

The evaluation visit is scheduled for 21–25 September , 2026. During it, the facilities and documentation related to the Curriculum will be inspected; discussions and interviews with staff, students and alumni will be organised. Visiting team members may walk around the building, approach individuals in the corridors, and ask various questions. 

During the visit, there will be an ‘open hour’ where anyone can meet with the team anonymously, without prior registration. On the last morning of the visit, the chairperson of the team will present an overview of the findings. Afterwards, we will await the evaluation report. The FVM will have 14 days to review the findings and correct any factual errors if necessary. Then we will wait for the ECOVE decision.